How To Kill Termites

Those of you who have faced infestations or have seen your neighbors deal with an invasion will want to know how to kill termites. Termites are a highly destructive pest, capable of ruining a home's value and even making the property dangerous to live in due to the threat of people falling through rotting wood floors. This guide will show you how to kill termites by explaining ways to identify which type of termite you're dealing with, and which method of extermination should be used.

What you will need:

Information on how to identify the different species of termites

The phone number of your local exterminator

Identify the type of threat. The first step to kill termites is to know your enemy. Termites come in three species, from least to most destructive: drywood termites, subterranean, and the most dreadful of all, the Asian Formosan species. Drywood termites will burrow into dry wood, and like subterranean termites they also fly. Subterranean termites can be found anywhere, and can be identified by the existence of mud tunnels leading from the soil into the outside walls of your home. Formosan termites are like subterranean types, but their colonies are much bigger and deeper in the ground; plus, they can affect an entire neighborhood, doing extensive damage over a period of months instead of years, due to their sheer numbers.

Act quickly and spread the word. Warn your neighbors, you can never be sure if the infestation has not affected others. Plus, if they are infested and you manage to kill termites on your property, the pests could invade from next door. This is especially likely if you're confronted with Formosan termites.

Choose the proper method of extermination. The cheapest way to kill termites, which is total fumigation, only affects drywood termites. Liquid remedies such as Termidor are safer for the environment. The product known as Phantom not only kills termites, it can also wipe out their entire nest. Both Termidor and Phantom are very expensive, however they are also much more effective in removing a termite infestation. The surest way to kill termites, however, is to simply call in an exterminator.

Warnings:

Trying to kill termites on your own using methods such as local spot control may not remove the entire infestation.